I smile at her choice of words. Take me by force. Well, well, what an interesting thought. Still … “No, I’m not going to do that. I want your total and complete obedience. I want you to open your legs when I tell you to, and suck my cock when I need relief.”
I say nothing and she makes her declaration. “I’ll kill myself before I let myself become your fuck toy.”
I think of the crudest thing I can say. “That’s okay.” I flash a sick smile. “I’ll just fuck your corpse. I don’t need you alive to enjoy your body.”
Tears pool in her eyes, and for the first time she seems fragile and vulnerable. It doesn’t last long though. She straightens her spine and furrows her eyebrows even deeper. “Why do you hate me so much? What have I ever done to you? I don’t even know you. Have you thought you might have the wrong girl?”
“The wrong girl? That’s funny,” I sneer, a laugh rolling out of me.
“You’re mad,” she snarls.
“I am,” I respond. “So you better not test me. Make the call, now.”
Chapter Five
Liliana
Turning my gaze to the phone in my hand, I wonder if I will even be able to use it. I cannot even feel it anymore.
Somehow, I find myself dialing the only number I know by heart and only because my father made all his children learn it by heart so we could call him even if we didn’t have our cellphones. I lift the phone to my ear as it begins to ring. It is answered immediately and my dad’s voice rushes into my ear.
“Hello,” he barks urgently. He must know it is me, because no one except our family members have this number.
I take a shaky breath before I speak. “Daddy,” I say, and it is unbelievably difficult to keep my voice from breaking down and begging him to fix everything for me, the way he has always done. For all of us.
“Where the hell are you? It’s almost four in the morning and you’re not back at your apartment. The last time you were spotted was at a bar.” His voice sounds very quiet, which usually means he is furious, but strangely I feel that underneath the veneer of rage he is terrified out of his mind at the thought of what might have happened to me.
I swallow and speak carefully. “You fixed it for me at Osborne and Nesbit, didn't you?” I accuse. “That's why they accepted me.”
For a few seconds there is dead silence, then he fires back, his voice incredulous, “And so what? What has that got to do with you disappearing for hours?”
The tears fall from my eyes then for the parents who love me so, so dearly that they would do anything for me. Both of them must think I am so selfish to disappear without a word for something so stupid. I square my shoulders. Let them think whatever they want of me, my remit is clear. I will protect my father with everything I have. My voice breaks as I speak. “I told you I wanted to try to make it for myself, and now you’ve gone and ruined it all.”
“All I did was get you in,” he bites out. “What happens afterwards and how far you go is all up to you.”
“That’s not true, not anymore. What happens now and how far I will go will all depend on your name, and not me,” I pretend to yell.
“Liliana,” he calls, “Where are you?”
“They kept hounding me,” I babble, “because they know I am your daughter. All I wanted was a few months working as myself and you’ve spoilt that for me.”
“Liliana what is the matter with you?” he asks, his voice sounds strangely desperate. I’ve never heard him sound so.
I wipe the tears from my eyes and sniff miserably. “I’ve left the apartment. I need to think and clear my head. I’ll be back after my birthday.”
“After your birthday?” he echoes in disbelief. “Don’t you want to come home for your birthday? Even if you are angry with me, don’t you want to see Mum? Your sister and your brothers?”
Even the mention of Mum makes me feel panicky and frightened. What if she has another breakdown? I try to speak, but I can’t. My throat feels choked.
“Liliana, are you still there?”
“Is Mum there, Dad?”
“No, she’s at home, out of her mind with worry. I’m in London looking for you.”
“Oh, Dad,” I sob.
“Where the hell are you, Liliana?” Dad demands suddenly.
My heart jumps in my chest. When I was young, I used to tell the most terrible lies, but when I was ten years old after I told a lie that almost caused Dad’s horse to die, my father made me promise that I would never lie to him again. No matter what he wanted the truth from me. From that moment onwards I have never lied to him. “Spain,” I whisper.
He flares up. “Hell, Liliana. How dare you leave the country without informing me? Have you no thought at all for your own safety?”
“I need the time away, Dad. I need to think about what I want to do with my future. I’ll call you again in a few days. Since you are in London can you go over to my apartment and pick up Moose. I couldn’t bring him, so he’s all alone in the house with no food or water. I know Mum won’t mind taking care of him until I get back. He’s missing Mum anyway.” I swallow the lump in my throat.
“I’ve already been to your apartment. Moose is waiting in my car now,” he says quietly, with not even a trace of reproach in his voice.
Relief floods through me. Thank God, Moose is not without food or water. “I’m really sorry, Dad ... but for once just let me do things my way.”
“Whose number is this?” he asks suddenly.
My gaze flutters over to my captor’s. He is staring at me his face, cold and unemotional. “Just someone I met.”
“Where is your phone?”
“The battery died and I didn’t bring my charger. Please don’t try to track me, Dad. I brought cash with me so I won’t be using any of my cards.”
“What is going on, Liliana? You’re smarter than this. Tell me exactly where you are and I’ll fly down and get you,” he says so quickly his words join together. It is as if he realizes that our call is coming to an end and he is panicking.
“I love you Dad with all my heart and I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me, more than you will ever know, but please, allow me to have this little time to myself. I’ll never ask for anything else again. Please tell Mum that I love her very, very much too, and not to worry about me, because I’m just fine. I just need a bit of time to think. I’ll try to call her in a few days. Bye, Daddy.” With that I disconnect the call and my hands fall to my sides.
An applause awaits me as I return to the nightmare of my new reality. “You’ve outdone yourself,” he says. “I always knew you were brilliant.”
The phone starts ringing again and I don’t even have to look to know it is my dad calling back. I throw the phone on the bed and look straight at him. “What now?”
He walks towards me, his stride unhurried, but with such menace and threat that I react without conscious thought. My leg takes a sideways step and my other leg follows. My legs are retreating of their own accord. The nearer he gets the quicker my legs move. Until my back connects with a wall. He smiles then, a crooked, glorious upturn of one corner of his lips that it surprisingly makes an unfamiliar thrill of desire run down my spine.
Oh God! I am losing my mind.
This is totally insane. I have never lusted after any man before. How could I possibly feel this way in the frightening situation I am in? The only thing I can think of to even remotely begin to explain my reaction would be the heightened emotions of terror, shock, and confusion I have endured in the last few hours.
He picks up the ringing phone and returns his gaze back to mine. We stare at each other as he raises the phone above his head. His eyes seem to turn even darker, and I see then; he detests me wholeheartedly. With every cell in his being he loathes me. His lips twist into a sneer and I know he is seething, but what for exactly I am not sure. He moves his hand back, and both mine rush up instinctively to cover my face. A thin scream of terror bursts from my throat as the phone slams into the wall just besid
e my head. It smashes into pieces and falls to the floor. My heart pounds in my chest. I don’t dare move.
“Now,” he says quietly. “You’ll wait until I am ready to use you.” He turns away and walks out of the room.
Chapter Six
Jake Eden
The line goes dead in my ear. My mind runs like wildfire, I redial the number, but it just rings and rings. “Pick up, pick up,” I urge desperately. I kill the call. I know she is not going to answer. I send a text. I tell her to call me back. We have code in our family. If ever anyone is in a position where they have been kidnapped or being held hostage they just have to say one sentence. I made all my children practice it again and again from the time they were old enough to speak.
Dad, I forgot to feed the dog. Can you feed it for me?
She didn’t say those words. I gave her more than one opportunity to say it. And yet I know my gut is vibrating with instinct. I know something is wrong. Very wrong. I take out my other cellphone and call Lily.
She answers immediately. “Did you find her?” she asks, her voice so full of desperation my heart breaks. I remember another time. Her face, white, sweaty, and savage, looking up at me from the bathroom floor. “I lost our baby,” she whispered brokenly.
I inject enthusiasm into my voice. “Yeah, she called.”